System for vehicle operator workload assessment and annunciation

Abstract

A system to assess the current, or future workload of a pilot and automatically providing annunciation when needed to the pilot, as well as to resources that support the pilot. The system may automatically, and without pilot involvement, assess the workload for the pilot based on incoming events and abnormal scenarios. The predicted incoming events may be related to operation data, such as navigation information, weather, traffic avoidance, and so on. The system may also detect abnormal scenarios, such as engine warnings, fuel or other aircraft issues. The system may determine whether the predicted incoming events or the abnormal scenario satisfies one or more pre-defined criteria. Based on the event satisfying one or more criteria, the system may output an annunciation to either the pilot, resources that support the pilot, such as an additional pilot and air traffic control (ATC).

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system for assessing a future pilot workload for a pilot of an aircraft, the system comprising:
 a memory; and   processing circuitry operatively coupled to the memory and configured to:
 receive information regarding operational data related to a flight of the aircraft, wherein the information comprises signals from sensors that measure at least a location of the aircraft in relation to terrain from a navigation system, weather predicted to affect the aircraft, operational status of aircraft systems including engine performance, and air traffic near the aircraft; 
 based on the information received from the sensors, determine future events affecting the aircraft; 
 determine the future pilot workload based on the determined future events affecting the aircraft; 
 determine that the future pilot workload comprises an increase to cockpit workload; 
 determine a time until the increase to the cockpit workload; 
 determine which request of a set of requests to output based on the time until the increase to the cockpit workload, wherein to determine which request of the set of requests the processing circuitry is further configured to:
 select a preventive reminding request to provide a reminder to the pilot actively in control of the aircraft before the cockpit workload increases in response to the time until the increase to the cockpit workload being greater than a first threshold; 
 select a mandatory cooperation request to provide an alert that the cockpit workload is expected to increase in response to the time until the increase to the cockpit workload being less than a second threshold, wherein the second threshold is less than the first threshold, and 
 select an external awareness request to provide a notification to air traffic control (ATC) when external assistance is needed to relieve the cockpit workload in response to the time until the increase to the cockpit workload being less than a third threshold, wherein the third threshold is less than the first threshold; 
 
 determine a notification message based on the selected request of the set of requests and the determined future pilot workload; and 
 cause a notification message channel to output the notification message. 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the information regarding the operational data is based on signals from sensors on board the aircraft. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the operational data of the aircraft comprises one or more of:
 navigation information including course, heading, altitude, terrain, approach procedures and departure procedures,   weather information including predicted severe weather near a planned flight path for the aircraft,   engine performance information, fuel remaining, operating limitations, cabin pressure and other nearby aircraft traffic.   
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to determine the future pilot workload based on detecting an abnormal scenario. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein an abnormal scenario comprises any one or more of the following: an engine issue, including engine failure, fuel issue, flight control system issue, communication system issue, deviation from a planned flight path, partial loss of flight instruments, or in-flight fire. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the system engages automatically when the system detects the aircraft is operating with a reduced crew. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the notification message channel:
 for a preventive reminding request comprises to output the notification message to a pilot actively in control of the aircraft, wherein the notification message comprise audio, visual or tactile.   
     
     
         8 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors of a computing device to:
 determine a future pilot workload of an aircraft pilot, wherein to determine the pilot workload, the instructions cause the one or more processors to:   receive information regarding operational data related to a flight of the aircraft, wherein the information comprises signals from sensors configured to measure at least a location of the aircraft in relation to terrain from a navigation system, weather predicted to affect the aircraft, operational status of aircraft systems including engine performance, and air traffic near the aircraft;   based on the information received from the sensors, determine future events affecting the aircraft;   determine the future pilot workload based on the determined future events affecting the aircraft;   determine that the future pilot workload comprises an increase to cockpit workload;   determine a time until the increase to the cockpit workload;
 determine which request of a set of requests to output based on the time until the increase to the cockpit workload, wherein to determine which request of the set of requests the instructions cause the one or more processors to:
 select a preventive reminding request to provide a reminder to the pilot actively in control of the aircraft before the cockpit workload increases in response to the time until the increase to the cockpit workload being greater than a first threshold; 
 select a mandatory cooperation request to provide an alert that the cockpit workload is expected to increase in response to the time until the increase to the cockpit workload being less than a second threshold, wherein the second threshold is less than the first threshold, and 
 select an external awareness request to provide a notification to air traffic control (ATC) when external assistance is needed to relieve the cockpit workload in response to the time until the increase to the cockpit workload being less than a third threshold, wherein the third threshold is less than the first threshold; 
 
   determine a notification message based on the selected request of the set of requests and the determined future pilot workload; and   cause a notification message channel to output the notification message.   
     
     
         9 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 8 , wherein the operational data of the aircraft comprises one or more of: navigation information including course, heading, altitude, terrain, approach procedures and departure procedures, weather information including predicted severe weather near a planned flight path for the aircraft, engine performance information, fuel remaining, operating limitations, cabin pressure and other nearby aircraft traffic. 
     
     
         10 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 8 , further comprising instructions for causing a programmable processor to determine the future pilot workload based on detecting an abnormal scenario. 
     
     
         11 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 10 , wherein an abnormal scenario comprises any one or more of the following: an engine issue, including engine failure, fuel issue, flight control system issue, communication system issue, deviation from a planned flight path, partial loss of flight instruments, or in-flight fire. 
     
     
         12 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 8 , wherein the notification message channel:
 for a preventive reminding request comprises to output the notification message to a pilot actively in control of the aircraft, wherein the notification message comprise audio, visual or tactile.   
     
     
         13 . A method for assessing future pilot workload for a pilot of an aircraft, the method comprising:
 receiving, by processing circuitry operatively coupled to a memory, information regarding operational data related to a flight of an aircraft operated by the pilot, wherein the information comprises signals sensors configured to measure at lease a location of the aircraft in relation to terrain from a navigation system, weather predicted to affect the aircraft, operational status of aircraft systems including engine performance, and air traffic near the aircraft;   determining, by the processing circuitry and based on the information received from the sensors, future events affecting the aircraft;   determining, by the processing circuitry and based on the determined future events, the future pilot workload;   determining that the future pilot workload comprises an increase to cockpit workload;   determining a time until the increase to the cockpit workload;   determining which request of a set of requests to output based on the time until the increase to the cockpit workload, wherein to determine which request of the set of requests the processing circuitry is further configured to:
 selecting a preventive reminding request to provide a reminder to the pilot actively in control of the aircraft before the cockpit workload increases in response to the time until the increase to the cockpit workload being greater than a first threshold; 
 selecting a mandatory cooperation request to provide an alert that the cockpit workload is expected to increase in response to the time until the increase to the cockpit workload being less than a second threshold, wherein the second threshold is less than the first threshold, and 
 selecting an external awareness request to provide a notification to air traffic control (ATC) when external assistance is needed to relieve the cockpit workload in response to the time until the increase to the cockpit workload being less than a third threshold, wherein the third threshold is less than the first threshold; 
   the set of requests and the determined future pilot workload; and   causing a notification message channel to output the notification message.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the operational data of the aircraft comprises and one or more of: navigation information including course, heading, altitude, terrain, approach procedures and departure procedures, weather information including predicted severe weather near a planned flight path for the aircraft, engine performance information, fuel remaining, operating limitations, cabin pressure and other nearby aircraft traffic. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the method further comprises determining the future pilot workload based on detecting an abnormal scenario, wherein an abnormal scenario comprises any one or more of the following: an engine issue, including engine failure, fuel issue, flight control system issue, communication system issue, deviation from planned flight path, partial loss of flight instruments, or in-flight fire. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the notification message channel:
 for a preventive reminding request comprises a first notification message channel directed to outputting the notification message to a pilot actively in control of the aircraft, wherein the notification message comprise audio, visual or tactile;   for a mandatory cooperation request comprises a second notification message channel directed to outputting the notification message to an off-duty pilot; and   for an external awareness request comprises a third notification message channel directed to outputting the notification message to air traffic control.